Founded in 1854 by O. W. Hollenbeck and originally called Mountain Springs
Only the post office remains of what was once a successful “hydraulic
mining” town . Hydraulic mining techniques were developed here — using high pressure water to separate gold from soil — from 1865 to 1878 , $6,125,000 in gold was shipped from here. Five large water ditches passed through the town serving the mining companies which had to cease operations in 1882 when state law was passed prohibiting hydraulic mining.Hydraulic mining
This method was developed to explore the soil of older, dried riverbeds and later, any available soil.
1. Riveted pipes guided water down from higher elevations. As the water travelled down, its pressure increased.
2. The water was channeled into iron nozzles called monitors.
3. By this time, the pressure was sufficient to blast away hillsides.
4. The monitors were systematically waved back and forth, boring into the land.
5. The soil would run down into a valley and a series of sluices where the silt and water would be separated through traditional mining techniques. www.calgoldrush.com/graphics/evolution.html